Prospective Change of Majors

Cal Poly State University

College of Architecture and Environmental Design

 

CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING DEPARTMENT

 

Individual Change of Major Agreement Policy

for the BSCRP Program

 

Revised December, 2014

 

The City & Regional Planning (CRP) Department’s current enrollment determines the availability of openings for on-campus students and thus the process to transfer into the department can be competitive. Depending on student enrollment numbers in the year that a student wants to transfer into CRP, there might only be a few spaces available for change of majors, or no spaces at all. On-campus students who are considering CRP as a major must satisfy the following requirements before being considered for acceptance:

 

Process

I. General Guidelines (Reference the Cal Poly ICMA Policy)

A. Minimum Time at Cal Poly

Students must complete at least one quarter at Cal Poly before requesting a change of major.

B. Basic Criteria Used in Determining Change of Major Options

The CRP Department will consider the following criteria in determining whether or not to enter into an Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA) with a student:

• Whether the student was eligible for the BSCRP major at the time of their admission to Cal Poly (e.g., MCA Academic Score)
• The student's college academic record (e.g., GPA, coursework completed, etc.), and
• Remaining coursework and the student's ability to complete degree requirements in the CRP major within the 204 maximum limit (180 total units required for the CRP major, plus a maximum of 24 units allowed by Cal Poly in excess of program requirements).

C. One Chance to be Accepted

Students who enter into an ICMA and do not complete the ICMA requirements will not be eligible to request that major again later in their career at Cal Poly.

D. Completion of Change of Major

The change of major will be approved once the student has successfully met all of the requirements of the ICMA.

 

E. Timeframe

The ICMA must be feasible to complete and be completed in no more than two quarters.

F. Academic Standing

A change of major agreement will be void if a student is academically disqualified prior to the completion of the agreement.

II. Requesting a Change of Major

1. Meet with current major advisor to review major options and talk about career paths. Consider, also, consulting with Career Services, other advisors, and faculty and/or department heads/chairs in both current and CRP majors.
2. To begin the formal change of major process, students must log into the Change of Major portlet located on the Academics tab at my.calpoly.edu. More information is available at advising.calpoly.edu.
3. Meet with the CRP Department Head (or designee) to determine the likelihood of success in the CRP major.
4. Review the curriculum requirements for the CRP major.
5. If the CRP major is not a good fit for the student, the student will be advised to look at other options.
6. If the student receives a positive assessment by the CRP department head based on consideration of the basic criteria as outlined above, and it is clear that the degree requirements in the CRP major can be met with the unit maximum, then an ICMA will be developed by the CRP Department Head.

III. Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA)

The CRP Department will develop Individual Change of Major Agreements throughout the academic year as applicable. The change of major will be approved once the student has successfully met all of the requirements of the ICMA. The ICMA will cover no more than two quarters and includes the following components:

1. Submit a Statement of interest prior to the initial meeting with the CRP department head.  This should be a 400 - 500 word statement (12 point type, with no grammar errors or misspelled words) that:

• Identifies prior personal experience and career goals related to the field of City and Regional Planning
• States the reasons why you wish to enroll in the CRP major at this point in time
• Explains (given what you know about your interests) why you think you can be a successful city planner.

2. Completion of CRP 212 - Introduction to Urban Planning with a grade of “B” or above in the course.
3. Additional courses and/or units may be taken to allow the student to meet minimum progress standards. Students must maintain a minimum of 12 units while following the ICMA requirements in order to allow students to complete CRP major degree requirements, GE courses, support courses, or electives in a timely manner.
4. GPA requirement - In order to be considered for a change of major into the CRP major, students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.50 (CPSLO Cum, Higher Ed Cum).  Deviation from this required GPA is at the discretion of the CRP department head, based on grades earned in courses applicable to the CRP major.

IV. Application Steps for Change of Major to City & Regional Planning

1. Step One. Talk to an advisor in your current major to ensure that your current major is not the best academic fit for you at this time.
2. Step Two. To begin the formal change of major process, students must log into the Change of Major portlet located on the Academics tab at my.calpoly.edu. More information is available at advising.calpoly.edu.
3. Step Three. Meet with the CRP Department Head to discuss your interest and initiate an ICMA. The CRP staff will create a file for use during the initial meeting.  The file will include the following items:

• Your statement of interest related to the proposed change of major to CRP (provided to the CRP office prior to the initial meeting)
• A copy of your unofficial transcripts including a print out of your Poly Profile and Degree Progress reports
• Your admissions MCA score (included on your poly profile)
• Applicant Review Form to be supplied by CRP.

3. Step Four: If the student receives a positive assessment from the CRP Department Head based on consideration of the process outlined above, and it is clear that the degree requirements in the CRP major can be completed within the unit maximum, an ICMA will be initiated by the CRP Department Head for the student.

The Applicant Review Form will be utilized to document the student’s status and the meeting with the Department Head.  The ICMA approval and completion process will be conducted according to the Cal Poly Academic Senate approved ICMA policy.